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Wednesday Weekly…January 22, 2025.
Can the threes become dependable at Boise State—in time for tonight’s game at Colorado State? In a two-game span against Utah State and Wyoming, the Broncos hit 27 of 52 from beyond the arc after hobbling along at less than 30 percent for the season. At New Mexico last Friday, when Murphy’s Law set in, it was right back to 21 percent, and it was only that high because they made four of their last five following a 1-for-19 start. Andrew Meadow is always a threat. But who does Boise State really miss this season? One is Australia-bound Max Rice, who scored 35 points at The Pit a year ago and shot 35 percent from three-point range last season. But we forget how important Chibuzo Agbo was last year. Agbo was at 41 percent from deep last season, and is hitting 38 percent now for USC.
THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
Famous last words from me last Friday before Boise State played at New Mexico: “This will be a referendum on how far the Broncos defense has come since that second-half hiccup at Utah State”. Well, defensively the past three games, Boise State has gone from famine to feast to famine after the 84-65 blowout at the hands of the Lobos. The Broncos were victimized in the paint, on the perimeter and in transition. They were out-efforted and out-physicaled by UNM, and that’s a tough pill to swallow. Boise State’s task tonight is to undo this latest regression at CSU.
PERSPECTIVE ON THE ROLLERCOASTER
Lest Bronco Nation go through the rest of the week forlorn, UNLV is just an example of the strange things that can happen in Mountain West basketball. The Rebels lost by 22 at Boise State two weeks ago and then got thumped by 22 again at Colorado State. UNLV promptly turned around and upset No. 22 Utah State at home before stunning San Diego State 76-68 last Saturday in Viejas Arena. There are still 12 Mountain West games left to play for the Broncos, beginning with tonight’s contest in Fort Collins. Moby Arena is never a fun place to play for them, and their chances of an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament may be on life support, but there’s a lot of hoops still ahead. And oh by the way, UNLV lost at home Tuesday night 63-61…to Wyoming.
THE CHERRY ON TOP
A Boise State football season for the ages got the icing on the cake yesterday: a top 10 finish in the 2024 polls. The Broncos were voted No. 8 in the final AP Poll and No. 9 in the Coaches Poll. It’s the highest finish for Boise State since 2011, Kellen Moore’s senior year, when the Broncos were also eighth in the AP Poll and sixth on the Coaches list. Pair this with a Fiesta Bowl appearance in the first 12-team College Football Playoff, a 12-2 record and a second straight Mountain West championship, and the best player in the country, and it was indeed a season to remember.
IT’S WAY TO EARLY, BUT…
Shortly after the CFP Championship Game Monday night, the “Way-Too-Early Top 25s” started rolling out for 2025. Two of the most-watched are from veteran writers Mark Schlabach at ESPN and Stewart Mandel at The Athletic. Schlabach has Boise State at No. 24 and Mandel places the Broncos at No. 21. Mandel’s assessment is pretty good: “Spencer Danielson’s program is too strong to plummet post-Ashton Jeanty. The Broncos will be on the shortlist again for a CFP automatic berth. Maddux Madsen played a key role in Boise’s Fiesta Bowl run in his first season as a starter. Freshman running back Sire Gaines gained 154 total yards in his college debut against Georgia Southern but suffered a season-ending injury in the third game.” That’s a key right there—Sire Gaines. This team is still going to be good.
MOCK DRAFT SEASON
And the Ashton Jeanty draft watch gets serious now. In Dane Brugler’s latest mock draft at The Athletic, he has the now-former Boise State star going No. 20 overall to Denver. Writes Brugler: “Should Jeanty fall this far? Of course not. But if Dallas decides to pass, there aren’t many obvious landing spots for him in the top 18. From the Boise State Broncos to the Denver Broncos, Jeanty would add another level to Sean Payton’s offense and continue to help Bo Nix ascend as one of the league’s brightest young quarterbacks.” Some are clamoring for the Chicago Bears to take Jeanty at No. 10 overall, thinking that new head coach Ben Johnson will really want him and really like him as a complement to quarterback Caleb Williams.
LOCAL SUPER BOWL INTRIGUE
Boise State will have some representation in Super Bowl 59. Whether it’s from a player remains to be seen, but there’ll be somebody emerge from the NFC Championship Game between Philadelphia and Washington. It’ll either be Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore or Commanders players Jeremy McNichols and John Bates. Both McNichols and Bates played well in Washington’s 45-31 upset win at Detroit. McNichols accounted for the final Commanders’ touchdown, and Bates could have had one were it not for a rare Jayden McDaniels misfires. On the AFC side, Khalil Shakir is in the title game with Buffalo against Kansas City. Shakir led the Bills—as he has all season—with six catches for 67 yards in the 27-25 win over Baltimore. The last Bronco in the Super Bowl: Philadelphia’s Jay Ajayi seven years ago.
STEELIES CATCH THEIR BREATH
After an intense three-games-in-three-days road trip to Tulsa, the Idaho Steelheads turn around and face the Oilers in Idaho Central Arena this week. But there are only two games in this series, Friday and Saturday, giving the Steelheads a welcome break this time of the year. The Steelies took two shootout victories in Tulsa before dropping the series finale last Sunday as they passed the midway point of the season (they’re now 35-20-3). At the ripe ol’ age of 32, A.J. White continues to impress for the Steelheads. The Captain has four assists in his last five games, and his 26 assists on the season are fifth among ECHL skaters.
HAIL TO THE YOTES DEFENSE
With all the points College of Idaho men’s basketball puts up, the Coyotes never get enough credit on the defensive end. But the Cascade Conference has recognized former Middleton Viking Tyler Robinett as its Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. In three wins last week the fifth-year senior, one of the holdovers from C of I’s NAIA national championship two years ago, recorded 16 rebounds, 10 blocks and a steal while playing less than 21 minutes per game. The Yotes are allowing 62.9 points per game while building a 16-2 record (11-1 in CCC play). They have Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon on the road this weekend. Take note: Tech is a half-game behind the Yotes in the CCC.
MERRITT BACK IN THE TEE BOX
Troy Merritt makes his 2025 PGA Tour debut Thursday when the Farmers Insurance Open tees off at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Merritt, who was inducted into the Boise State Athletics Hall of Fame in November, finished 149th last fall on the FedEx points list, short of the No. 125 ranking needed to be a fully-exempt player on the tour. He’s in the Farmers tournament on a sponsor’s exemption. Merritt, entering his 14th PGA Tour season, earned $741,117 last year with five Top 25 results and one Top 10. But KTIK’s John Patrick reports that Merritt is headed to the European Tour after testing Torrey Pines this week.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by VETERANS PLUMBING…we care about your water!
January 22, 2018: New Orleans Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins becomes the first NBA player to record a 40-point, 20-rebound and 10-assist triple-double in almost 46 years in a 132-128 double-overtime win over the Chicago Bulls. Cousins put up 44 points, pulled down 24 boards and dished out 10 assists. The last player to accomplish the feat was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972. Wilt Chamberlain did it four times during his career—Oscar Robertson and one-time College of Idaho Coyote Elgin Baylor are the only other ones ever to pull it off.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
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